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Terran
The terrans (or humans) are a young species with psionic potential. The terrans of the Koprulu sector descend from the survivors of a disastrous 23rd century colonization mission from Earth by Doran Routhe.Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. Compared to the protoss and zerg, the terrans are highly factionalized and endure frequent wars amongst themselves in addition to the more recent conflicts with their alien neighbors. Nevertheless, terrans stand as one of the three dominant species of the galaxy.(2007). StarCraft: The Board Game (manual). Fantasy Flight Games. Namesake The term terran generally refers to the humans descending from the survivors of the "Long Sleep" and consequently to the human inhabitants of the Koprulu Sector.Neilson, Micky (December 18, 2000). StarCraft: Uprising. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0743-41898-0 (eBook). The term may be used synonymously with human''Blizzard Entertainment. ''StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: The Inauguration. (in English). 1998.Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0671-04148-9.Edmund Duke: "You are in violation of our air-space and have endangered human lives in your reckless attack against the Zerg." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Choosing Sides (in English). 1998. and terrans of the sector may extend its meaning to encompass those not descending from the "Long Sleep".Samir Duran: "My Queen, we have located a small Terran facility towards the rear of the Renegades' landing zone." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: Fury of the Swarm (in English). 1998. Humans of the Earth-based United Earth Directorate refer to themselves as humans, mankind or humanity,Gerard DuGalle: "Serve the Directorate. Serve Humanity." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Level/area: First Strike (in English). 1998."The Overmind will undergo extensive research to ensure the continued safety of the United Earth Directorate and of all mankind." StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: UED Victory Report (in English). 1998. although they are sometimes referred to as terrans by Blizzard Entertainment.Blizzard Entertainment staff. 2008-04-16. The Story so Far... Part 2: The Brood War. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2008-04-16. History The terrans arrived in the Koprulu sector via supercarriers in 2259,April 6, 2010. "Timeline". StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 311 - 323. ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. landing on three separate planets – Tarsonis, Moria and Umoja. They were cut off from Earth. The terran colonists had access to stores of fertilized eggs and frozen embryos, and even extensive cloning, using technologies found on the supercarriers. The terran population expanded rapidly for at least three generations, and for the first five or six generations there was pressure to have many children. Eventually the supercarrier technology broke down.Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-10-08. StarCraft II Creative Development Q&A - Part 1. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-10-08. Prior to the Great War, the terrans were primarily divided into three factions in the Koprulu sector, each based on one of the original settled planets – the Terran Confederacy, Kel-Morian Combine and Umojan Protectorate. The Confederacy was the strongest faction. During the Great War, the Terran Confederacy, experimenting with psi emitter technology, bore the brunt of attacks by the zerg (infested planets were frequently purified by the protoss) while facing the Sons of Korhal. The Sons of Korhal eventually destroyed the Confederacy by using stolen psi emitters to lure the zerg to Tarsonis;Duke: "This is Duke. The Emitters are secured and on-line." Sarah Kerrigan: "Who authorized the use of Psi Emitters?" Arcturus Mengsk: "I did, Lieutenant." Kerrigan: "What? The Confederates on Antiga were bad enough, but now you're going to use the Zerg against an entire planet? This is insane." Jim Raynor: "She's right, man. Think this through." Mengsk: "I have thought it through, believe me. You all have your orders. Carry them out." StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Level/area: The Big Push (in English). 1998. the rebels created the Terran Dominion, based on Korhal, to replace the Confederacy. Unknown to the terrans of the Koprulu sector, the humans of Earth were aware of their existence. However, no interference came from Earth until the discovery of the alien invaders, sparking panic. The new Earth government, the United Earth Directorate, dispatched an Expeditionary Fleet to take control of the sector and defeat the aliens.Underwood, Peter, Chris Metzen and Bill Roper. StarCraft: Brood War (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. After approximately six months of stability, the Dominion came under attack by the UED.McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 1416-55083-6. Ultimately the sector escaped UED control, but it left the Dominion weak and with the zerg as the sector's dominant power.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Cinematic: Epilogue (in English). 1998.Golden, Christie (November 27, 2007). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #2: Shadow Hunters. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7126-1. By the Second Great War, the Dominion was the strongest terran force in the Koprulu Sector, vying with the Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojan Protectorate for influence.Metzen, Chris; Chambers, Andy; StarCraft Legacy staff. 2007-08-31. BlizzCon 2007 StarCraft Lore Panel Editorial. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2007-12-02. On the eve of war, Raynor's Raiders resumed its anti-Dominion campaign after a period of relative inactivity.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Liberation Day (in English). 2010-07-27. The terran polities were engulfed at the start of the Second Great War by a massive zerg invasion. Sarah Kerrigan's objective was the recovery of the Keystone, and the invasion was a way of searching for it.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. UNN newscast after "Supernova." (in English). 2010. Billions of terrans were killed.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Escape from Mar Sara. (in English). 2010. Ultimately, the terrans survived the conflict, but at great damage to the Dominion, and the loss of Emperor Mengsk.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cinematic: Ascension (in English). 2013-03-12. The Dominion was reformed under Emperor Valerian Mengsk under a new and fairer rule,Barba, Rick. StarCraft Field Manual (hardcover). Insight Editions, November 17, 2015. but this rule was tested with the advent of the End War and the return of Amon, which ended in terrans pushing back Amon's forces and defeating him in the Void.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Amon's Fall. (in English). November 10, 2015 Since then the terrans of the sector have existed under an uneasy peace, one that has been put to the test by internal strifeBlizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Nova Covert Ops, End Game (in English). 2016-11-22. and external tensions, but still maintained.Zahn, Timothy (November 8, 2016). StarCraft: Evolution. Del Rey Books. ISBN 0425284735. Physiology The average terran is 1.8m tall.Back of the original StarCraft box, 1998. Maximum human life expectancy is at most 150 years, without any mental degradation,DeCandido, Keith R. A. (November 28, 2006). StarCraft: Ghost: Nova. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0743-47134-3. though few terrans live over a centuryGolden, Christie (June 30, 2009). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #3: Twilight. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0-7434-7129-9. and terrans over the age of 80 are still considered old. Blonde hair and blue eyes still occur naturally in terransGolden, Christie (May 22, 2007). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0-7434-7125-1. though these traits (and others) can be altered by gene therapy and/or augmentic surgery. This can lead to a certain uniformity of appearance for those wealthy enough to afford such treatments.McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-1-4165-5083-9. Abathur considers the terrans to be a doomed species due to their lack of genetic diversity and the proliferation of recessive traits in their gene pool.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Conversations after Planetfall. (in English). 2013-03-12.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Abathur (in English). 2013-03-12. Physically, terrans are inferior to species such as the zerg and protoss. However, terrans are known for their tenacity and ability to adapt to harsh circumstances. In addition, terrans are only a few steps away from developing into a formidable psionic power. Terrans are a suspicious species by nature, and their inner thoughts rarely correspond to how they present themselves to others.Kenyon, Nate. (September 27, 2011). StarCraft: Ghost: Spectres. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-1439-10938-0. Parts of the human brain give predisposition to ritual behavior.Irvine, Alex. "“Great One”." (April 11, 2013). Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft Lore: Great One Accessed 2013-04-11. Terran brains are adept at seeing patterns, even if they aren't there.Zahn, Timothy (November 8, 2016). StarCraft: Evolution. Del Rey Books. ISBN 0425284735. Advancements in terran medical technology has removed many issues terrans faced during their development. Cybernetic implants and advanced surgeries have allowed for quicker recovery from injuries that would be permanent or fatal hundreds of years prior.McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-1-4165-5083-9. Terrans often make use of medical nanomachines in order to heal injuries, both on the battlefieldDayton, Cameron. "Broken Wide." (March 5, 2010). Blizzard Entertainment. Broken Wide Accessed 2010-03-05. and in civilian infirmaries.Burns, Matt. "Collateral Damage." (May 13, 2010). Blizzard Entertainment. Collateral Damage Accessed 2010-05-16. Retinor has eliminated the need for corrective eyewear, though some still wear glasses.DeCandido, Keith R. A. (November 28, 2006). StarCraft: Ghost: Nova. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0743-47134-3. Cosmetic surgery is widespread and common among many wealthy terrans. However, issues such as cancer still plagued humanity, some cancers being still inoperable. Some genetic distinction exists between the terrans of the Koprulu sector and their Earth-born counterparts, due to the former's genetically aberrant ancestry.Blizzard Entertainment. Heroes of the Storm (Blizzard Entertainment) (in English). June 2, 2015 Culture Terrans are an ingenious and industrious species. It can be said that for terrans, honor is less important than getting results.2017-12-08, Which Race Should I Play?. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2017-08-12 Before the founding of the United Powers League, terrans possessed a diversity of beliefs; beliefs that were subsequently repressed. This remained true with the Terran Confederacy,Hickman, Tracy (May 21, 2002). StarCraft: Speed of Darkness. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-0671-04150-2. which had limited tolerance for "other faiths". However, a few planets in the Koprulu Sector, notably the Fringe Worlds, have resurrected old Earth religions, Christianity among them, in addition to creating cults, the Church of Besainted Pelagius being one example.Gillen, Kieron (w), Hector Sevilla (art). "A Ghost Story." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 2 (paperback binding), pp. 122-169. Tokyopop, January 1, 2009. ISBN 1427-80831-7. For more agnostic societies, some terrans still believe in the existence of a monotheistic deity, though others are distinctively skeptical. Country and rock are music genres that still exist in the Koprulu sector. Despite fragments of Earth's history being absent from terran records, some ancient mythologies are still remembered. These include tales of various afterlives and their dark alternatives, including Hell, Tartarus and Sheol. "Warrior women" are remembered from at least one mythology and elements of Greek mythology have been retained also.Golden, Christie (April 12, 2011). StarCraft II: Devils' Due. Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). ISBN 978-1416-55085-3. At least in the Koprulu sector, terran cuisine is highly varied.2011-07-02, Good Eats. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2011-07-02 Many terrans pursue consumerism.2010-09-16, Product Placement: Koprulu Sector. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2010-09-16 Both protoss and zerg individuals have noted that terrans are a species driven by greed.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: The Kel-Morian Combine (in English). 1998.Watrous, Valerie (w), Manual, Garcia (i) and Sandra Molina ©. (July 19th, 2017). StarCraft II: Shadow Wars: Part 2. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Shadow Wars: Part 2 Accessed 2017-07-19. One belief, or rather hope that has remained more-or-less constant for humanity is a fascination with the existence of other sapient life – a hope that remained unfulfilled until contact was made with the protoss and zerg. The leaders of the United Powers League were of a different mindset than their Koprulu counterparts, demonstrating a purely militaristic and xenophobic approach to the discovery of alien species. If one takes an outsider's view on humanity, (e.g. a protoss's), then humanity possesses a wide, puzzling spectrum of morality.Gerrold, David (w), Ruben de Vela (p). "Fear the Reaper." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 4 (paperback binding), pp. 28-71. Tokyopop, October 1, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-81698-6. When compared to the elder species, terrans are far more obsessed with the notion of private thoughtGerrold, David (w), Fernando Heinz Furukawa (p, i). StarCraft: Ghost Academy: Volume 2 (paperback binding). Tokyopop, August 10, 2010. ISBN 978-1427-81613-9. and personal freedom and are "not meant for" the unity the Khala brings. Having experienced it however, a terran ghost theorized humans could become a better people were they able to share the psionic link. Terrans have displayed disregard for the natural world in a manner anathema to the protoss. Factions :Main article: Terran organizations —one of many terran rebel groups]] The terrans are a heavily-factionalized species, with many different governments and even more groups trying to overthrow said governments. The three dominant factions in the Koprulu sector are the Kel-Morian Combine, Terran Dominion and the Umojan Protectorate, the Dominion having taken the place of the now defunct Terran Confederacy. Earth and its colonies are controlled by the United Earth Directorate, though this is not absolute.StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty: Quickstart Guide. Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 2010. It has been speculated that if ever humanity united under a single banner, it could become an unstoppable force. Many rebel groups sparr(ed) with colonial powers, which have had varying degrees of success in achieving their goals. Hardly a week goes by without there being some military or policing action being reported in the Koprulu Sector.Blizzard Maps of the Month. (1999-11-24). Outbreak. Blizzard Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-05-24. Military cohesiveness within units however, makes terrans a force to be reckoned with.Race: Terran, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2010-12-05 Technology :Main articles: Terran technology listing, Terran Technology descriptions —an example of terran artificial intelligence]] On the galactic scale, terrans are perhaps a "middle of the road" species and something of a paradox technologically. Of the galaxy's sapient species, terrans are significantly inferior to the likes of the protoss yet (seemingly) more advanced than other sapients.Zapotek, Ren (w), Noel Rodriguez (p, i). "Twilight Archon." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 3 (paperback binding), pp. 132-177. Tokyopop, July 14, 2009. ISBN 978-1427-80832-5.Kindregan, Brian T. "Mothership." (January 15, 2010). Blizzard Entertainment. Mothership Accessed 2010-01-15.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: First Strike (variant) (in English). 1998. First Strike. Limited Gaming. Accessed 2008-01-18. From an outsider's point of view, humanity has paradoxically improved its technology despite being in an apparently constant state of conflict. From an insider's point of view, such development has been possible not in spite of conflict, but because of it. Terrans have a vast assortment of weapons and vehicles at their disposal,2014-10-10, New Terran Tech Schematics (Homepage Blurb). Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-10-18 and they're always trying to create more powerful weapons.2017-07-25, Rock the Cabinet 2017 – Winners Announced. YouTube, accessed on 2017-08-05 Fare gauges, terrain mappers, and targeting systems are standard for terran fightercraft.2014-11-09, Viking Science. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-09-13 Their armies possess both adaptability and resilience. Terran technology includes FTL transmission and sensor technology. Terrans have yet to crack quantum computing.Barba, Rick. StarCraft Field Manual (hardcover). Insight Editions, November 17, 2015. The maintenance of supply lines is vital in terran warfare. Terrans greatly developed their engineering abilities after the Brood War. Gameplay StarCraft * Gameplay * Strategy * Units * Buildings StarCraft: Ghost * Units StarCraft II * Gameplay * Strategy * Units * Buildings Notes *For Samwise Didier, "heavy friggin' metal" is the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks of the terrans (nukes are a close second).Toyama, Kevin. The Art of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (hardcover). Insight Editions, July 27, 2010. **In truth, country and rock were the main musical inspirations for the terran OST in the original game.2018-12-02, 20 YEARS OF STARCRAFT: AN IGN RETROSPECTIVE. IGN, accessed on 2018-12-03 *A general consensus exists in regards to terran weaponry, at least in StarCraft II. Generally, terran weapons are ballistic, with directed energy weapons (e.g. lasers) being reserved for high technology units (such as battlecruisers).2010, Starcraft 2: Terran Thor. Deviantart, accessed on 2011-07-20 *In the 2013–2018 period, the terran article was the least visited playable race page on the wiki, coming in at less than half of the views the zerg article received (the next highest 'race page' in terms of visitor numbers). Lawrence Yee, who ran the numbers, noted that this could be due to the time between the release of Wings of Liberty (2010) and 2013, along with the examined data only going back five years. He further noted that terran characters, with the exception of Sarah Kerrigan, were far less popular (in terms of article views) than their non-human counterparts.2018-03-30, 'Starcraft' 20th Anniversary: What Fans Are Most Interested In. Wikia, accessed on 2018-04-01 Development *The idea of humans being in StarCraft was present from the outset, and were the first race developed for the game.2018-12-02, 20 YEARS OF STARCRAFT: AN IGN RETROSPECTIVE. IGN, accessed on 2018-12-03 However, the developers didn't want to do the "Galactic Good Guys" trope, instead going with "Surly Space Cowboys That Were Prisoners,"2017-11-05, BLIZZCON 2017 STARCRAFT REMASTERED: THEN AND NOW. Blizzpro, accessed on 2017-11-19 otherwise referred to as being "akin to the outlaws of the Old West, except in power armor and rocking gauss rifles.Carpenter, Nick (w), Didier, Samwise (w), Metzen, Chris (w), The Art of Blizzard Entertainment (hardcover). Insight Editions, February 12, 2013. ISBN 1608-87027-8. It was intended that the terrans be different from their human counterparts in the Diablo and Warcraft universes. They ended up being, in the words of Samwise Didier, "cannon fodder, stuck in the middle of nowhere, and fighting against each other."Brooks, Robert. The Cinematic Art of StarCraft (hardcover). Blizzard Entertainment, October 18, 2018. *During early development of the game (and carried on to various extents), terrans were "rednecks" (in space). The idea behind this came from Blizzard's cinematic team while the game's story was still being developed.Blizzard Retrospective, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2011-07-20 The idea of the terrans was to bring a "Wild West" atmosphere to space, and they were likewise described as "space cowboys" by Glenn Stafford.2017-05-12, The Sounds of Koprulu. Blizzard Entertainment, accesed on 2017-05-13 This was later added to/altered/influenced by Firefly for StarCraft II.2009-04-04, StarCraft II Lore Panel. StarCraft Legacy, accessed on 2011-07-20 While the zerg and protoss are more esoteric, the terrans represent "the familiar" to the player.2018-04-03, EVOLUTION COMPLETE: REIMAGINING CLASSIC STARCRAFT UNITS FOR STARCRAFT II. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2018-03-07 *In the original conception of StarCraft (which took place in the 28th century), the terrans had a different backstory. Over more than six centuries they had dominated the stars, but by the time the game took place, they controlled just a fragment of their once great civilization, and were disunited.2007-06-24, Starcraft Teaser (1995). YouTube, accessed on 2013-02-06 *From a development standpoint, the terran aesthetic is that of being clunky, welded together, rusty,2016-11-05. BlizzCon 2016: Foundations for the Future. Youtube. Accessed 2016-11-05. bulky, hard-edged, etc. The root of this aesthetic lies firmly in the modern military-and-industrial look. Along with the zerg and protoss, the terran aesthetic was decided early on in the development of StarCraft, that their structures would be square and clunky, and that the terrans themselves would be "rough and dirty."2017-04-27, Rock and Roll Days of StarCraft: a Development Retrospective. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2017-04-29 *For StarCraft II, several of the new terran units were given sleeker, more advanced designs when compared to their forebears. This was done to showcase the technological process terrans had made between StarCraft and its sequel. References es:Terran Category:Races Terrans